1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a thin absorbent article to be used as a vaginal discharge absorptive sheet called as panty liner, a bladder control pad or urine absorptive sheet for Urinary incontinence patient, and so forth. More particularly, the invention relates to an absorbent article which can achieve deodorant effect on a surface thereof upon absorbing a body fluid or restriction effect of alternation of the body fluid.
2. Description of the Related Art
Absorbent articles having deodorant effect have been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Heisei 8(1996)-224270 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Heisei 9(1997)-271484. These employ leaves of green tea or catechin extracted from tea leaves as deodorant component.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Heisei 8(1996)-224270 as the first prior art, there has been disclosed a sanitary wearing article containing tea leaves in an absorbent body thereof. There has also been disclosed to contain the tea leaves in a surface sheet formed with a water permeable non-woven fabric.
On the other hand, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Heisei 9(1997)-271484 as the second prior art, there has been disclosed a disposable diaper deposited epigallocatechin gallate.
However, the sanitary wearing article disclosed in the first prior art is basically directed to deodorant effect for fluid, such as menstrual blood or the like absorbed in an absorbent layer by containing tea leaves in the absorbent layer. On the other hand, in the first prior art, there is also disclosed to contain the tea leaves in the surface sheet. However, the surface sheet in the disclosed prior art is formed with a mesh form water permeable non-woven fabric to cause difficulty in retaining the tea leaves.
On the other hand, in the second prior art, there has been disclosed the invention wherein the disposable diaper is dipped in a solution of epigallocatechin gallate and is then dried. This is also to contain epigallocatechin gallate in relatively voluminous absorbent layer of the disposable diaper.
While technical concepts to contain tea leaves or extract of tea leaves in the absorbent article for deodorant effect conventionally are conventionally present, those are mainly intended to contain the tea leaves or extract of the tea leaves in the absorbent layer and are not intended to contain the tea leaves or extract of the tea leaves in the surface sheet which is in direct contact with the wearer""s skin. Furthermore, there is no disclosure for particular solution for certainly holding the tea leaves or extract of the tea leaves with preventing dropout thereof when the tea leaves or extract of the tea leaves is contained in the surface sheet.
As a typical thin absorbent article, there is a vaginal discharge absorbent sheet called as panty liner. Such vaginal discharge absorbent sheet is thin and designed to be fixedly secured on the crotch part of the underwear for providing a feeling of use as if an integrated part of the underwear. The vaginal discharge absorbent sheet is thin and is not required to have large absorbing capacity. Therefore, the secrete is potentially retained on the surface of the surface sheet for a long period. Similarly, in case of a thin absorbent sheet for urinary incontinence, the urine can be retained on the surface of the surface sheet.
However, in these thin absorbent sheet, even when the tea leaves or extract of the tea leaves is held in thin absorbent layer placed inside, it should be difficult to achieve deodorant effect or alternation restricting effect for vaginal discharge, urine or the like deposited on the surface sheet.
The present invention has been worked out in view of the problems set forth above. It is an object to provide an absorbent article which can satisfactorily achieve deodorant effect or alternation restricting effect for body waste deposited on a surface sheet even in a thin absorbent sheet which can retain the body waste on the surface sheet thereof.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, an absorbent article comprises:
a liquid absorbent surface sheet formed from at least one of natural fibers, regenerated fibers, mixture of natural fibers and regenerated fibers, composite fibers consisted of synthetic fiber and one of the natural fibers and the regenerated fibers, the surface sheet containing at least one of tea leaves and extract of tea leaves; and
a hydrophobic back surface sheet.
In the absorbent article, since the surface sheet contains at least one of natural fibers and regenerated fibers, the tea leaves or the extract of the tea leaves can be adhered on the natural fibers or the regenerated fibers by physical bonding force, such as intermolecular attraction, Coulomb force, hydrogen bonding force and so forth to hardly dropout. Therefore, deodorant effect and alternation restricting effect can be effected for the secrete or body waste adhering on the surface sheet.
The surface sheet may contain cotton fibers, and at least one of tea leaves and extract of tea leaves may be retained on the cotton fibers.
Since the tea leaves and/or the extract of the tea leaves can be adhered on the cotton fibers by hydrogen bonding force. On the other hand, the cotton fibers are in fibril form, so that the tea leaves and/or the extracted of the tea leaves can be held between the fibers. Therefore, the tea leaves or the extract of the tea leaves can be certainly held on the surface sheet.
The surface sheet may be consisted of a surface side non-woven fabric and a back surface side non-woven fabric laminated with each other, the surface side non-woven fabric may be formed from fibers containing the cotton fibers, and at least one of tea leaves and extract of tea leaves are retained on the cotton fibers.
By forming the surface sheet with two non-woven fabrics, absorbing performance of the secrete or body waste of the surface sheet becomes high, so that it becomes unnecessary to provide the absorbent layer below the surface sheet. Alternatively, even when the absorbent layer is provided, the absorbent layer can be thin to form the thin absorbent article. Also, by holding the tea leaves or the extract of the tea leaves on the surface side non-woven fabric of the surface sheet, deodorant effect and alternation restricting effect for secrete or body waste to be absorbed and deposed on a surface portion of the surface sheet can be effected.
The extract of tea leaves is catechins. The surface sheet may contain a coloring agent. A color of a surface of the surface sheet containing at least one of tea leaves and extract of tea leaves as well as the coloring agent may be selected among 10Y to 5B in color circle as defined in Figure 1 of Section 3.1 of JIS Z8721-1993, as viewed the color circle in clockwise direction.
By providing the foregoing color on the surface of the surface sheet, variation of color of the sheet due to containing of the tea leaves or the extract of the tea leaves becomes not perceptive but can provide visual image causing association of deodorant and bactericidal effects by the tea leaves or the extract of the tea leaves. Furthermore, the color provided on the surface of the surface sheet may be effective for concealing color due to alternation of vaginal discharge or color of urine.
A liquid absorbing region may be formed only from the surface sheet and the back surface sheet.
Since the surface sheet is effective for absorbing liquid and retaining the liquid in the absorbent article according to the present invention. Furthermore, deodorant effect and alternation restricting effect for secrete or body waste absorbed in the surface sheet can be achieved by the surface sheet. Therefore, the thin absorbent article can be formed without providing the absorbent layer.
Alternatively, the absorbent article may further comprise a cushion layer disposed between the surface sheet and the back surface sheet, and the cushion layer has hydrophobic or water repellent property.
When the cushion layer is provided, soft feeling may be provided as contacting with the wearer""s skin. Furthermore, since secrete or body waste can be absorbed mainly or exclusively by the surface sheet to be influenced by the tea leaves and the like contained in the sheet to achieve deodorant effect or alternation restricting effect.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, an absorbent article comprises:
a surface sheet formed from hydrophilic fibers fibrillated for fixedly holding powder state catechine containing substance; and
a hydrophobic back surface sheet laminated with the surface sheet.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, an absorbent article comprises:
a surface sheet formed from hydrophilic fibers containing fibrillated fibers for fixedly holding powder state catechine containing substance; and
a hydrophobic back surface sheet laminated with the surface sheet.
The surface sheet may contain cotton fibers as the fibrillated fibers. The catechin containing substance may be at least one of tea leaves and extract of tea leaves.
The surface sheet may be consisted of a plurality of mutually distinct hydrophilic fiber sheets and fibers forming outermost sheet may be fibrillated for fixedly retaining the powder state catechin containing substance.